read the last paragraph, Birdie,” Lori said, brushing a tear from her cheek.
Bridget willed her hands not to shake. In her grandmother’s last hours, she’d sat with the woman, holding her hand, staying strong and steady. Even at eighteen, she’d understood the circumstances. She was responsible for her sister and didn’t have the luxury of falling apart.
And she hadn’t fallen apart.
But at this moment, she feared the words written on the page might be her undoing.
Carefully, she unfolded the letter and skimmed the words her grandmother had written to Lori.
Work hard.
Listen to Birdie.
You are meant for great things.
I am so proud of you.
But her heart nearly stopped when she came to the last paragraph.
Lori, we both know that Birdie is going to make sure that you’re safe and loved. But here is something you might not know about your sister. She will do all these things to the detriment of herself. She will give and give and never stop. After you’re older and can understand what I’m telling you, it’s up to you to give Birdie permission to let go. My dear Lori, I know with all my heart that you will find love, happiness, and success. But Birdie won’t take the leap to reach for those things for herself until she knows that, without a doubt, you no longer need her as a guardian but are ready to walk beside her as a sister and a friend.
Now, for you, sweet Birdie, when you read these words, please know that it’s time for you to spread your angel wings, set your own course in this world, and soar.
I, along with your mother and father, will always be with you both.
Bridget stared at her grandmother’s message until the blue ballpoint pen loops and lines blurred together.
“Birdie?” Lori said, her voice barely a whisper.
With the weight of her grandmother’s words, Bridget had to come clean to her sister about Soren.
“There’s something I’ve been keeping from you. And you might be disappointed in me.”
Lori took her hand. “You can tell me anything, and there’s nothing you could do to disappoint me.”
“Do you remember that night when I had to stay over in Denver at the hotel?” she began.
Lori gave her a strange look as her brows knit together. “Of course.”
“You should know that the man at the bar—my hotel hottie—the one that I spent the night with.”
Lori leaned in. “Yes, I remember.”
Bridget swallowed hard. It was now or never.
“It was Scooter,” she confessed.
Her sister’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “You’re kidding?”
“I wish I was.”
Or did she? Did she regret that night?
Her head said she should, but her treacherous heart couldn’t let him go.
“Why didn’t you say anything, Birdie?”
Bridget shook her head in frustration. “I didn’t know what to say. The guy had been an absolute creep to you, but we had this amazing night together. I didn’t know it was him at the time. We didn’t share any personal information. He only knew me as Bridget, and I only knew him as Soren.”
Lori gasped. “I never told you that Soren was Scooter’s real name, did I?”
“No, and he only knew of me as Birdie. That is, until the next morning, when Dan picked us up at the hotel, and we put it together.”
Her sister chuckled. “Well, it all makes sense now.”
Bridget reared back. “What are you talking about?”
“I was telling Tom that half of the time, you guys looked as if you wanted to tear each other apart. But the other half of the time, you guys looked more like you wanted to tear each other’s clothes off,” Lori added with the hint of a mischievous grin.
Oh no! Had everyone gotten that vibe off of them?
Bridget held Lori’s gaze. “I never wanted to complicate anything. I didn’t know what to say to you about him. I thought that, once Soren and I figured things out, I’d tell you that I…”
“That you like him?” Lori offered perceptively.
Bridget blew out an exasperated breath. “Something like that. But now, after what he did, I feel so foolish for falling for him.”
That wasn’t a lie, but there was so much more to what she was feeling. Even when they were going at each other, she’d found such comfort in his presence. And not only that, he’d pushed her. She’d never had a real adversary—never had to fight so hard for what she believed in.
Thanks to this curmudgeon of a man, she’d learned that she wasn’t the doormat Dasher sister. She possessed a backbone of steel, and it